Why Does Coaching Work?

This edition of Coach Talk finds me a year older. Yes, on May 1, I finally turn the big 4-0. I am thankful for so much in my life. I am grateful that I am alive; that I have an amazing girlfriend; that I have so many wonderful clients and such awesome friends; that the Realidate dream is coming closer to reality; that I am continuing to grow as a human being and as a coach.

And, not to forget, I am thankful that you are continuing to allow me the space and time to share with you my ideas of life, love, creativity, business and coaching. Thank you!!!

Because coaching is a relatively new profession and most people I know haven’t had any direct experience with it, the question of why coaching works is something I frequently hear. One of the biggest misconceptions is that coaching is about giving advice. I believe that all of the answers we seek are inside of ourselves. We shouldn’t go to a coach to be told what to do. The reason to go to a coach is to empower yourself to listen to your own inner voice. Seeking outside help can be beneficial to your development or it can be an escape. Pushing the responsibility away from your self, from your own truth, and going with someone else’s view is only a short term solution.

Coaching is about permanent and fundamental shifts in your view.

According to Einstein, “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” A coach can help you shift your thinking into a new perspective. A coach can be a mirror but only to a willing observer.

Yet if my clients are struggling in their careers or in their businesses and I have direct experience with this struggle either in my own life or through my coaching work, I may use an example of this experience to shine some light on my client’s path. The best way to illustrate this point is through a story I heard on The West Wing.

This guy is walking down the street when he falls in the hole. The walls are so steep, he can’t get out. A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, “Hey, you! Can you help me out?” The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then the priest comes along and the guy shouts up, “Father, I’m down in this hole, can you help me out?” The priest writes down a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by. “Hey, Joe, it’s me. Can you help me out?” And the friend jumps in the hole. The guy says, “Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here.” And the friend says, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before and I know the way out.”

The best way to find out why coaching works is to try it out for yourself. I can recommend a coach that is right for you or you can try a complimentary coaching session with me

Practice
Perhaps the reason I talk about practicing so much is because I often forget to take this advice myself. If you want to be a better leader, practice leading. If you want to be a better speaker, practice speaking. If you want to be more loving, practice being more loving. If you want to be more on time, practice being on time. It sounds simple and it is. Yet it is the commitment to the practice and sustaining it over a period of time that will certainly give you results. You will get better!!!

Life Balance
Music is such an integral part of many of our lives. It touches our minds, our spirit, our hearts and even our bodies. It is one of the components that allows us to achieve balance in our lives.

The art of making mix-tapes is well-established in our society. Its form has changed – from the cassette, to the CD’s and now to the play-list on our Ipod. Yet the emotional content hasn’t. Nothing captures a period of your life like a great mix of songs that resonate with you. Making a mix is like being a curator of your own concert or like sending a love letter to someone you have a crush on. It is thought provoking and emotion inducing. And it is certainly creative.

A mix CD is an amazing present to ones you love.